Real Walls in a Pacific Yurt?

[shesupsidedown]

I have seen a few examples in my yurt research of seemingly "real" walls in a pacific yurt.
Like this: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/900456

Any insight on how this is done? I have been toying with the idea of replacing my Pacific yurt with a Smiling Wood yurt or some other wood yurt structure, mainly because of noise, heat loss, and the lack of real walls.
If I could get walls in there I would be thrilled.

I do live in Oregon so mold might be a problem if you cove the walls?

[ineffableone]

If you want completely solid then companies like Smiling Wood are the way to go.

However you can also do semi solid wall interior fairly easy. From what I know the basic gist of what many folks call "solid wall" yurts. it is normal exterior with a layer of

insulation

and then a tongue and groove wood interior wall. It would not be too hard to buy the tongue and groove wood and install it to the interior of your yurt. And it would be cheaper than buying a whole new yurt.

The big one if you went this route is you would need to add real windows too. Pacific yurt does offer real window options that you can buy and retrofit.

[Jafo]

Might I suggest you design it in a way that the walls can breath. Maybe Bob has more to add, but I was thinking a space at the bottom of the wall where air can get in, along with space at the top where it can get out. I would think this would address any condensation issues. You have to remember that the outside wall is a fabric and that when heat comes in contact with it, condensation is going to happen. It needs a place to go or mold will ensue.

Good luck!

[Pixiemoss]

Has anyone else done this ? I am interested to know how it affected mold and condensation issues.

[Robink]

If you're interested in a DIY wood yurt instead of a kit, we just self-published a book about ours. It's on Amazon under the name Marvin Denmark. We're also in Oregon!

[pablo]

We installed

insulation

and drywall in our Pacific yurt's walls. We used 3/8" because it bends easier. My yurt blog on my profile should have pix. Down the road I plan to replace the exterior fabric with hardy board for wildfire protection. We have had a little bit of condensation problem especially in very cold weather, but we are careful to ventilate and manage humidity so it has not caused any problems (mold, etc). In the ceiling we used R34 insulation panels and covered it up with the white yurt fabric from Pacific Yurt's insulation kit for a tidy finished look. Eventually I will replace the roof fabric with metal roofing which will include eves and ventilation like a house.

[Pixiemoss]

I love the idea of firebrand! We are in the PNW which is currently ablaze so are looking for ways to make our yurt more climate resistant.

Curious how it's going with the drywall and if you are still not having mold issues ? We really want to do this buy the potential for mold is what has stopped us. I wonder if adding narrow floor vents behind the drywall would help?

Would love an update..

[shesupsidedown]

Just wanted to update what I ended up doing:
We added regular windows retrofitted. Inside over the lattice we added rigid insulation and covered with a board that was supposed to be VOC free and was not. I reacted to it so I removed it all and covered the walls with doubled muslin fabric. I now have "walls" and the fabric was cheap, easy to hang (we made the interior look similar to a old school canvas tent with grommets and what not), and breathable. No mold issues whatsoever. That said, I love all the suggestion here!

[Pixiemoss]

Interesting ! What kind of board did you use that caused a reaction. ? Would love to see pics of the cloth walls.

[pablo]

Originally Posted by Pixiemoss

I love the idea of firebrand! We are in the PNW which is currently ablaze so are looking for ways to make our yurt more climate resistant.

Curious how it's going with the drywall and if you are still not having mold issues ? We really want to do this buy the potential for mold is what has stopped us. I wonder if adding narrow floor vents behind the drywall would help?

Would love an update..

I don't think vents in the walls would be necessary. At least not in our climate where it is very windy. The wall fabric is loose enough that air moves through the walls quite well. A little too well. We went around and caulked the bottom of the drywall where it meets the floor, because it was too drafty in the winter. We also did some caulking around the windows. As I mentioned before, we have seen some spotty condensation here and there in the wall insulation, but none that has spread or moved into the drywall and our air quality seems good. Caveat: we live in a low humidity climate east of the Cascades. Make sure you have an exhaust fan for the kitchen and bathroom and/or crack the

dome

. We still plan to replace our wall fabric with hardy board, but have been delayed in that part of the project because of COVID prices, etc... In the mean time we have a very thorough fire break built around the yurt!